FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - How much time in a schedule change will allow me to request an earlier flight?
Old Jan 18, 2019, 3:37 am
  #9  
tuxedo66
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 72
Originally Posted by tuxedo66
Thanks very much Rebound. I rang them and they gladly put me on an earlier flight even though the schedule change was very small. I asked what the policy was, whether there was a cut-off time. She said even with a five minute change, they allow rebook on request, which surprised me a little.

I've had Air New Zealand bigger schedule changes before. They were accompanied by a link for managing the booking (rebook) or an invitation to phone in if the new schedule was unsuitable. For this minor one, there was no such thing, so it led me to assume it was "take it or leave it". But I was wrong. You don't ask, you don't get.

The new flight had just been downgauged from a B777 to an A320 so the price had more than doubled as well. So the 30 minutes spent on hold (speakerphone) was well worth it.
In case anyone is interested in the pricing dynamics of a downgauge from a B777 to A320 from Auckland to Sydney:

- The price of my new flight was around $180 seat-only on the 777.
- When it was downgauged to A320, it went up to around $380 I think, and that's when the airline rebooked me.
- My rebooking must have snapped up the last reasonably priced seat.
- The cheapest flight for that flight in May is now $796 seat-only.
- Ouch!
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